Richard Brown
Cumming
Summary
Dynamic pricing strategist with a proven track record at Honeywell, driving a 22% increase in win rates through innovative deal desk leadership and pricing optimization. Expert in contract negotiation and stakeholder engagement, I excel in creating value-based pricing models that enhance customer experience and deliver substantial ROI.
Overview
19
19
years of professional experience
Work History
Senior Manager Pricing & Deal Desk
Honeywell
01.2024 - Current
- Company Overview: Honeywell International Inc. is an American publicly traded, multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina. It primarily operates in four areas of business: aerospace, building automation, performance materials and technologies, and safety and productivity solutions.
- Recruited to create a centralized global Deal Desk function to bring the traditional Honeywell business areas together into a singular function for the purpose of deal review and approval where Honeywell Connected Enterprise (software) solutions are being offered
- Standardized SEA (Schedule of Executive Approvals) across 5 business units each with their own CRM and CPQ instances
- Built review and escalation process to provide rapid and streamlined deal approval information to SLT
- Lead conversion project to create ARR license for products currently sold via “perpetual’ license. Project delivered on time and within budget
- Honeywell International Inc. is an American publicly traded, multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina. It primarily operates in four areas of business: aerospace, building automation, performance materials and technologies, and safety and productivity solutions.
Pricing and Deal Desk Manager
M-Files
04.2023 - 11.2023
- Company Overview: M-Files is a global leader in information management. The M-Files metadata-driven document management platform enables knowledge workers to instantly find the right information in any context, automate business processes, and enforce information control. This provides businesses with a competitive advantage and substantial ROI as they deliver better customer experiences and higher-quality work.
- Set up Deal Desk function and systems as an expansion of the “Pricing” role to provide scalable support to facilitate deal cadence and growth
- Revised pricing modelling and approval flow based on analysis of market-based pricing
- Increased win rate by 18% in year through pricing guidance at approvals stage
- Support and lead negotiation with clients as a player-coach providing expertise to work with Sales to close business
- Set up and managed approval escalations to C-Suite, providing insight on deal structure, legal terms, and margins etc. and ensuring deal compliance with all policies
- Developed tool to support the development of pricing proposals by Sales to ensure that key value drivers of cost and ROI are understood and are presented in all submissions
- Collaborated with Legal, Renewals, Product and Marketing across the Sales cycle and with development of M-Files’ presence in the marketplace
- SME on development of CPQ, approval flows and standardized discount structuring
- SME on ARR recognition, its relation to Sales compensation such that deals are discussed with C-suite as necessary should the deal structure not fall within standard approval guidelines
- Developed pricing-based promotions to specifically drive deeper use and adoption of the M-Files portfolio
- Provided Sales support in the role of “player-coach” for client facing negotiations and deal closing
- M-Files is a global leader in information management. The M-Files metadata-driven document management platform enables knowledge workers to instantly find the right information in any context, automate business processes, and enforce information control. This provides businesses with a competitive advantage and substantial ROI as they deliver better customer experiences and higher-quality work.
Deal Desk Director
Toptal
09.2021 - 02.2023
- Company Overview: Toptal is a global remote company that provides a freelancing platform, connecting businesses with software engineers, designers, finance experts, product managers, and project managers.
- Set up and managed Deal Desk systems and team in Toptal
- Defined regional pricing and approval matrix for all products
- Built pricing and margin approval process from ground-up
- Built market and competitor pricing gathering database
- Increased win rate in year by 22% through pricing inputs to the approval process
- Owned contract approval process and legal prioritization
- Reduced turnaround time by 15%
- Works hand in hand with sales team to secure multi-million-dollar clients and contracts (player-coach and client facing)
- Negotiate contract terms – client facing role in support of Sales and Legal functions
- Optimized process flow to deliver revenue and minimize cycle times
- Manages MSP (Managed Service Provider) process within Toptal
- Built and managed RFP process and team within Toptal
- Toptal is a global remote company that provides a freelancing platform, connecting businesses with software engineers, designers, finance experts, product managers, and project managers.
VP Deal Desk – Global
PGi - Premier Global
03.2021 - 09.2021
- Company Overview: PGi employs 950 people across 24 countries with its Global headquarters in Alpharetta, GA USA. PGi facilitates national, international & global collaboration through innovative telecoms and web technologies.
- Lead Team of Pricing and RFP professionals in developing compelling and creative commercial models to win business
- Facilitates deal cadence and strategy through being the point of contact for business decisions across commercial and legal aspects
- Directly supports Sales in customer interactions and deal negotiations.
- Leads the program to convert existing business into a SaaS solution.
- 2015-2017 $35M of converted sales in EMEA
- 2017-2020 $100M of converted sales in USA
- By 2021 $300M of Gobal SaaS sales
- Developed revised pricing and package configuration models for SaaS solutions for Collaboration and Webcasting resulting in significant company valuation increase through conversion of “pay as you use” business into SaaS/ARR.
- Developed the commercial aspect of building a UCaaS go to market commercial proposal
- Provides in-depth commercial analysis of client data to develop custom client solutions to achieve company objectives
- Supports contract development to reflect the commercial solution
- Responsible for all risk, margin, and pricing within PGi solutions developed
- Commercial problem solving expert – improving win rate of deals, building and maintaining a Deal Desk ethos that is built on collaboration, not hurdles.
- PGi employs 950 people across 24 countries with its Global headquarters in Alpharetta, GA USA. PGi facilitates national, international & global collaboration through innovative telecoms and web technologies.
EMEA Deal (Commercial) Director
PGi - Premier Global
01.2015 - 06.2017
- Company Overview: PGi employed 2000 people across 24 countries with its EMEA headquarters in West Cork, Ireland. PGi facilitates national, international & global collaboration through innovative telecoms and web technologies.
- Directed the commercial development of SaaS solutions
- Lead the program to convert existing business into a SaaS solution
- Built the analysis and pricing modelling to bring ROI and solution-based proposals to clients
- Provides in-depth commercial analysis of client data to develop custom client solutions to achieve company objectives
- Develops engaging pricing and commercial proposals into regional and global opportunities
- Supports contract development to reflect the commercial solution
- Responsible for all risk, margin and pricing within SaaS solutions developed
- Worked closely with Sales to provide support in client interactions - a customer facing role to that accelerates the Sales cycle
- PGi employed 2000 people across 24 countries with its EMEA headquarters in West Cork, Ireland. PGi facilitates national, international & global collaboration through innovative telecoms and web technologies.
Global Pricing Manager
WWTS – Worldwide TechServices
06.2013 - 12.2014
- Company Overview: The WWTS worldwide team of over 3,000 technicians service more than 3 million desktops, laptops, printers, servers, networks and LCDs each year in more than 50 countries. WWTS provides BPO & ITO services supporting many IT manufacturers and service suppliers including Dell, IBM, Wipro, TCS, & CapGemini. Worldwide TechServices is a global leader in delivering technology services and solutions to the world’s most demanding clients. We provide infrastructure services and professional services to the world’s leading technology providers, outsourcers, large and small businesses and consumers.
- Commercial project management of all pricing bids including global RFPs
- Develops IT outsourcing solutions and commercial proposals into local and global opportunities
- Works closely with Sales to understand the commercials for a winning bid, and “reverse engineers” to collaborate with Procurement to meet acceptable “buy and sell” parameters and thereby deliver negotiation strategies
- Based in Limerick, Ireland and provides the sole support network for EMEA and APAC pricing with US based colleagues assisting in global opportunity support
- Works closely with Sales, Finance, and Procurement teams to develop winning commercial solutions
- Provides commercial “safety net” for global pricing to ensure complex solutions meet corporate financial objectives
- Working to build the new Global Pricing team policies and procedures and works with the Sales and Client Management teams to roll out the new processes globally
- Develops and supports the negotiation of complex, multi-service, multi-country, service contracts, Agreements, Statements of Work, and proposal responses
- Identifies critical success factors to secure business wins
- Works in a fast-paced, global environment building relationships across sales, procurement, solutions architects, vendor management, program management
- Demonstrates outstanding customer satisfaction to internal and external customers while building strong relationships for the future
- Thorough understanding of finance: costs, P&L and other related financial areas
- The WWTS worldwide team of over 3,000 technicians service more than 3 million desktops, laptops, printers, servers, networks and LCDs each year in more than 50 countries. WWTS provides BPO & ITO services supporting many IT manufacturers and service suppliers including Dell, IBM, Wipro, TCS, & CapGemini. Worldwide TechServices is a global leader in delivering technology services and solutions to the world’s most demanding clients. We provide infrastructure services and professional services to the world’s leading technology providers, outsourcers, large and small businesses and consumers.
Senior Pricing & Bid Manager
PGi - Premier Global
11.2010 - 06.2013
- Company Overview: PGi employs 2500 people across 24 countries with its EMEA headquarters in West Cork, Ireland. PGi facilitates national, international & global collaboration through innovative telecoms and web technologies.
- Commercial project management of all pricing bids including global RFPs
- Provides commercial “safety net” for pricing and contracts in EMEA
- Working in the commercial space linking the procurement of services to the profitable sale of the developed product
- Development and negotiation of contract terms for direct sales, resellers & agents
- Supports the reporting requirements of the business through development of information systems using Crystal Reports, Business Objects & advanced Excel skills
- Works in conjunction with PGi colleagues to ensure commercial synergy in Diamond and Global Accounts
- Proactive Pricing and Contract support for over 100 EMEA, India & Canada based sales professionals
- Developed & implemented PGi Channel Sales pricing and contracts model in 2011
- Project management of 2012 initiative to provide dynamic cost and pricing solutions into the PGi WIN$ system
- Project managed and implemented the roll-out of the PGi WIN$ pricing and contract tool into Canada
- Commercial manager responsible for the 2012 initiative to reduce global price compression by $7m
- Responsible for the analysis & reporting of pricing trends across the product range
- Responsible for the development & delivery of price compression strategy to the EMEA sales force
- PGi employs 2500 people across 24 countries with its EMEA headquarters in West Cork, Ireland. PGi facilitates national, international & global collaboration through innovative telecoms and web technologies.
Supply Chain Manager & European Sales Manager
Hi-Life (PTG) Tools
09.2006 - 09.2009
- Company Overview: Employing 120 people in Ireland, Hi-Life tools is a multinational manufacturing facility producing thread rolling dies for the aerospace and automotive industry.
- Allocation, management and generation of a €13million sales budget
- Responsible for market research, internal business planning and building external relationships with key business providers
- Management of PTG and customer consignment inventory within strict guidelines
- Operational responsibility and management of output from 4 distributor companies. Responsible for product knowledge, managing performance, tracking revenue stream, motivation and development of distributors
- Work towards creating a cohesive partnership between Hi-Life Tools manufacturing and the Distributor network to ensure maximum productivity
- Partner with finance and engineering to ensure communication channels across the business are maintained and developed.
- Responsible for the analysis, migration and implementation of new Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system which is central to the business activities
- Reporting and process development of distributors using TOC system to define activity level to achieve quotation level resulting in increased sales
- Forge and develop key customer relationships with clients such as Alcoa, Acument (Avdel), Nedschroef, LISI (Automotive & Aerospace), Ejot, Bulten
- Negotiate on behalf of Hi-Life Tools on preferred vendor agreements (LTA’s)
- Attended workshops, trade shows, and seminars to develop business & update on industry developments
- Employing 120 people in Ireland, Hi-Life tools is a multinational manufacturing facility producing thread rolling dies for the aerospace and automotive industry.
- Achieved and exceeded sales revenue goals by 8%
- Increased EBIT (earnings before tax & interest) from 2% to 6% in first 6-month period of activity through focused supply chain analysis and implementation of improvement program. EBIT now stands at 12% for this area of the business
- Achieved a significant inventory and raw material stock reduction through detailed analysis - followed by a program partnership with the customer
Education
BSc - Applied Biology coursework
North London Polytechnic
Skills
- Deal Desk Leadership
- Deal Desk creation and building
- Quote-to-Cash process and optimization
- Risk Identification & Mitigation
- Conflict Resolution
- Training & Development
- Pricing Strategy
- Pricing Optimization
- Contract Pricing
- Financial Modelling
- Competitive Analysis
- Value-based pricing
- KPIs and Metrics
- Coaching & Mentoring
- Strategic Planning
- Strategic Execution
- Contracts & Negotiation
- Stakeholder & Customer Engagement
- Customer Experience
- Commercial Presentation
- Social & Emotional Intelligence
- Visioning
- Project Leadership
- Client Facing
- Deal maker - Player/Coach
- ASC606 Revenue Recognition
- Contract Lifecycle Management/Renewals
- Salesforce and in-house CPQ-CRM expert
- Pricing and Product Analytics
References
Available on request
Early Career Highlights
- Primary Care Dr Group (UK), Practice Manager - General Manager
- RMC-Cemex, Business Analyst – MIS Specialist
- Genetix (UK), Commercial Manager
- Alpha Laboratories Ltd (UK), Operations Manager (Medical diagnostics and consumables)
- Nycomed (UK), Diagnostic Sales Representative (Medical Products)
- Western Laboratory Service, Senior Sales Representative (Medical Products)
- London Hospital Medical College, Medical Laboratory Scientific Officer - Transplant Immunology
Other
Expert level user of Microsoft Office Suite especially Excel, Access, Word, PowerPoint with recent (5 years) experience of Google Workspace associated apps - Sheets, Docs, Slides etc, Experience of SFDC (current system in daily use), Hyperion, PowerBI, Oracle BI, SAP, Syteline, Business Objects / Intelligence, Pro Clarity, Crystal Reports, US citizen since 2023, Originally from the UK and lived in Republic of Ireland before relocating to US in 2017.
References
References available upon request.
Timeline
Senior Manager Pricing & Deal Desk
Honeywell
01.2024 - Current
Pricing and Deal Desk Manager
M-Files
04.2023 - 11.2023
Deal Desk Director
Toptal
09.2021 - 02.2023
VP Deal Desk – Global
PGi - Premier Global
03.2021 - 09.2021
EMEA Deal (Commercial) Director
PGi - Premier Global
01.2015 - 06.2017
Global Pricing Manager
WWTS – Worldwide TechServices
06.2013 - 12.2014
Senior Pricing & Bid Manager
PGi - Premier Global
11.2010 - 06.2013
Supply Chain Manager & European Sales Manager
Hi-Life (PTG) Tools
09.2006 - 09.2009
BSc - Applied Biology coursework
North London Polytechnic
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